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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Planning a trip over the long, hot summer? Why not head to Natchez, Mississippi and enjoy a little history while you are at it?

Here are thirteen great places to visit while in Natchez….

1. Linden's front door was copied for Tara of Gone With the Wind fame and has one of the finest collections of federal furniture found anywhere. If you elect to stay in this bed and breakfast your hosts will be the sixth generation of the same family to reside in this beautiful home.2. Melrose is one of the homes I toured. It is owned by the National Parks Service and they give a very interesting tour there. Make sure you check out the cypress pond as you enter the drive and the rest of the surrounding yard has many gems waiting to be discovered. I recently wrote about the Melrose punka in the dining room.3. Longwood is one of the saddest places I have ever toured, and while on the grounds I truly began to understand the tired old phrase “lost cause” when describing “the war”. I hope to write more about it in a few days. It is owned by the Pilgrimage Garden Club and is open for tours. It is truly a beautiful place and the picture with this post is of Longwood.4. Dunleith has an interesting history and currently is a bed and breakfast. Make sure you ask about the names etched on the window panes.5. Monmouth is one of the homes I actually got to visit in addition to Longwood. This home is also a bed and breakfast and has the most serene gardens I have ever walked through. Make sure you ask about the piece of furniture that helped the ladies keep the house after the war.6. Rosalie sits on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The French settled this area before the English and built Fort Rosalie on the very spot where this great house sits today. During the Civil War Union troops occupied the house. Luckily they respected the great home and its contents. Today the home is owned by the Mississippi State Daughters of the American Revolution.7. The Burn dates from 1834 and its original owner was the president of the Planters Bank in Natchez. The house misleads you from the front because it appears to only be a story or so tall, however, it is actually three stories tall and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Yes, you can stay here too!8. Pleasant Hill was the home of the founder of the First Presbyterian Church in Natchez as well as owner of a newspaper. The house was built in 1830 and today operates as a bed and breakfast.9. Stanton Hall was owned by the wealthiest man in Adams County. That’s really saying something since Natchez, Mississippi at one time had more millionares living there than any other place in America. Today the home is owned by the Pilgrimage Garden Club and tours are given of the mansion. Make sure you time it just right so you can end your tour with a fantastic lunch at The Carriage House Restaurant10. Want something a littler newer with a great view? Then Bluff Top is your choice. It was built in 1894 and overlooks a 200 foot bluff with great views of Ole’ Man River.11. The Briars is IT when it comes to seclusion, beauty, and historical significance. In 1845 Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederate States of America, married Varina Howell at The Briars.12. Glenfield Plantation sits on an original 150 acre Spanish land grant. Portions of the home date from 1778 while other sections date from 1845. No matter where you stand in this place you are standing somewhere old! Make sure you have the staff point out the bullet holes from the Civil War.13. Oak Hill is a bed and breakfast. The home’s owners have won awards for their restoration of this 1835 antebellum home.

If you love old homes then Natchez can’t be beat for beauty, elegance, and historic ambiance.

Wonderful post - and one I'll have to save for when Hubby and I do the trip to that area. As for Varina and Jeff Davis...recently read the new biography on Varina and she definitely wasn't a happy woman. Very, very smart in an era when it wasn't a good thing to show that off. And her husband? Let's just say should could have done better!

Sounds beautiful. When our kids are older we want to take them east for a historical road trip. This June we're heading out to Kentucky from Colorado. It will be an interesting experiment for three kids four and under.